Charges dropped against woman struck by officer at airport


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

MIAMI (AP) — Criminal charges have been dropped against a Black woman who was struck in the face after yelling at a police officer at Miami International Airport.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges of battery on a police officer and disorderly conduct against the 21-year-old woman based on the body camera footage of responding officers.

The confrontation began July 1 after the woman wasn't allowed to board a flight to Chicago because she arrived late, according to a memo from prosecutors. It said the woman became agitated while speaking with an airline employee, who called police for help.

Bodycam video shows the woman, who was not wearing a face mask, become irate, saying, “You acting like you white when you really Black. ... What you want to do?” She approaches the officer, and puts her face right next to his, the video shows. The officer then punches her in the face.

A police report states that the woman struck the officer on the chin with her face before he hit her.

Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez announced a day after the confrontation that he had started the process to fire the officer. Police haven't identified the officer.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

U.S.
Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast